Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian fame has an exciting side project coming out on June 23. Murdoch has been working on God Help The Girl since 2004, and it has been worth the wait. There are lots of interesting side stories about this project, but this one is my favorite. You may remember more than a year ago Murdoch had a competition on a social networking site to find vocalists. The contest attracted about 400 would-be singers. Well, he actually found a couple of Americans -- Brittany Stallings and Dina Bankole -- that became pivotal pieces to this record. A third vocalist, Scottish lass Catherine Ireton, does a bulk of the lead vocals. Throw in a 45-piece orchestra and a little help from Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and you have a wonderful ode to '60s girl groups.
Yes, there have been a few of those in recent years, but this sounds very little like The Pipettes, Lucky Soul and others. I love that stuff, but this material is much heavier and more serious in theme and tone. Give the first single, "Come Monday Night", a listen. I have also included the song "God Help The Girl". This is sure to make my best of the first half of 2009 list coming at the end of the month. I think it will make yours, too.
God Help The Girl - Come Monday Night (mp3)
God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl (mp3)
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